Nature's Larder

This year, my little quince tree finally came up trumps. Sixteen beautifully perfumed quinces, all mine. I was rather pleased with myself, if I'm honest. There's something deeply satisfying about watching a tree you've planted reward you with its own little harvest. And then, just as I was admiring my modest quince collection, a neighbour turned up and offloaded two baskets of the things on my doorstep. Two baskets!! Apparently, I had been promoted from someone with a quince

An autumn pavlova with a little surprise tucked inside ... There are pavlovas, and then there are pavlovas that make you wonder why on earth you've never thought of doing this before ... This one started with a batch of homemade quince cheese and a slightly mischievous idea. What if, instead of keeping quince cheese on the cheeseboard, we tucked it inside a French meringue pavlova? .. Not stirred through completely, not blended into a uniformly pink mixture, but swirled throu

Golden, buttery puff pastry topped with creamy French cheese, savoury salami, sweet quince cheese and fragrant thyme. A little French-inspired kitchen improvisation that turned out rather well ... When the Fridge Has Other Plans You know those moments when you have a perfectly good idea for something to cook, only to discover that the fridge hasn't quite got the memo? ... This was one of those moments. The original plan involved bacon and Brie, which sounded rather lovely. E

There are certain things that mark the changing of the seasons for me. The smell in the air of the first fires in the grate. The hedgerows turning from green to gold. The sudden appearance of enormous pumpkins ... And, perhaps my favourite of all, the moment one of the neighbours down the road announces on Facebook that her quinces are ready. There is something wonderfully exciting about that little message appearing. The quinces are ready ... And I'm off! Yesterday, howeve

Because when you decide all of the figs need to come off the tree NOW, you immediately acquire a completely different problem: a fig glut ... There are worse problems to have, admittedly. A basket overflowing with fat, ripe figs is a rather beautiful sight. Right up until you realise that there are only so many figs you can eat warm from the tree, only so many you can tuck into a tart, and that the fruit bowl is beginning to look less like an invitation to dinner and more li

Honey-roasted quince, nestled into crisp buttery pastry and baked beneath a silky vanilla custard ... There are some things that are worth taking your time over, and quince is very definitely one of them. These little Honey Roasted Quince Custard Tarts started with a handful of quinces and the idea of roasting them slowly with honey and thyme until they became soft, golden and sticky. Once I had them, putting them into a custard tart seemed almost inevitable. The quince bring

There are some recipes that begin with a plan ... And then there are the ones that happen because you have eight deeply dark, beautifully ripe Victoria plums sitting in the kitchen and absolutely no intention of letting them go to waste ... This was very much the latter. The plums were big, soft and properly ripe — the sort that practically collapse when you cut into them. I wanted to roast them gently and see what happened, so into the oven they went with a splash of orange

Is it too early to start thinking about mince pies? Yes. Absolutely yes, and I have no excuse ... Well… actually, I do ... I was recently asked to consider putting together a Christmas food hamper. At the time it was July, the local blackberry bushes were fit to bursting, and my mind naturally drifted towards my Nature’s Larder collection of recipes. I've always loved freezing blackberries. There's something fabulously useful about having a stash of them tucked away, read

Slow-cooked pork shoulder in Somerset cider, with sweet apples, fennel and mustard There are recipes you plan days in advance, and then there are the ones that happen because you've got a pork shoulder in the fridge and a bottle of cider sitting on the worktop. This was one of those. I'd been making chutney, which left me with cider, and suddenly the idea of putting that cider into a slow-cooked pork shoulder seemed far more sensible than drinking it while I decided what to d

There are certain combinations that arrive in your kitchen and make you stop for a minute. Greengages and gooseberries were one of those ... Sweet, fragrant greengages on one side, sharp little gooseberries on the other, and suddenly I was wondering what would happen if I stopped thinking about them as two separate fruits and let them get themselves into a little bit of trouble together ... The answer, as it turns out, is chutney, and not just any chutney ... This is a Hot Gr

Now, I know that technically, there is no such thing as blackberry cassis ... Cassis is traditionally made from blackcurrants, and I am perfectly aware that blackberries are not blackcurrants. But I rather like the romance of it. Blackberry liqueur sounds like a perfectly sensible name for Blackberry Vodka, but Blackberry Cassis sounds darker somehow. A little more mysterious. Like something you might find in an old Somerset kitchen, written in faded ink in the back of a rec

I gather you all here today to discuss something on a rather serious note... It has come to my attention that there are people out there, such as myself, suffering from a little-known condition known as CGGOC – Courgette Glut Growers Overload Circumstance. The symptoms are actually very well documented. Sufferers are often left overwhelmed and bewildered as they stare into a fridge drawer full of courgettes wondering what on earth they are going to cook next. In the early sta

Some recipes begin with a shopping list ...This one began with a bucket of blackberries. The sort that arrive in a neighbour's hand with a smile and the words, "I thought you might like these." The sort that stain your fingertips purple before you've even reached the kitchen .. and those very blackberries became a delicious homemade curd, rich with a gentle sharpness and gloriously jewel coloured ( When Life Gives You Blackberries ... Make Blackberry Curd.) Generously spooned

A refreshing taste of summer beneath the apple trees ... There are some places that quietly become part of your story. For us, Wady's Cider Orchard and Taproom is one of them. On warm summer afternoons, it's one of our favourite places to escape for an hour or two. Sitting beneath the apple trees with a chilled drink in hand, watching the light filter through the orchard, you can't help but slow down. There's something wonderfully simple about it all ... the scent of apples

They say when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade ... But every now and then, life has other plans ... Not long ago, I mentioned to my husband that we really ought to go blackberry picking. I had a craving to make a blackberry curd and imagined an afternoon spent wandering the hedgerows, returning home with purple-stained fingers and enough berries to fill a basket. About twenty minutes later, there was a quiet knock at the door, and on the doorstep sat a generous

The Black Nebula Spritz ... An elegant aperitif inspired by a heritage carrot, an old family recipe and a neighbour's garden. Some recipes begin with a carefully planned shopping list, The Black Nebula Spritz begin with a message from a neighbour ... Whenever Beverley invites me round to try something from her garden, I know I'm in for something a little out of the ordinary. This week, she shared a photograph of freshly pulled Black Nebula carrots on Facebook and casually ann

A Somerset Fairy Tale (With a Cocktail at the End) Are you sitting comfortably? Then we shall begin... Every fairy tale contains an element of truth. As with all stories handed down through the years, however, they have a habit of acquiring a little extra sparkle in the retelling. Such is the tale of the Fig Leaf & Gooseberry Spritz. And like every good story ... Every recipe has a beginning. Sometimes it's a scribbled idea in a notebook. Sometimes it's inspired by a memora

The drink I nearly didn't make ... This drink almost never existed, but then ... While making my Blackberry & Mangelwurzel Jelly ( Deliciously Unique Blackberry and Mangelwurzel Jelly Recipe to Try ), I found myself standing over a pan of the most beautiful ruby-red juice I'd ever made. It seemed almost criminal to watch every last drop disappear into the preserving pan. So I quietly poured 100ml into a jug. No plan. No recipe. Just curiosity. What followed was one of those

How an old-fashioned root vegetable became my favourite preserve of the summer ... Some recipes arrive with months of planning. Others arrive in the hands of a neighbour carrying a rather extraordinary vegetable. When I was given mangelwurzels ahead of village Mangelwurzel celebrations, I'll admit I wasn't entirely sure where to begin. Most people know them as livestock feed, not something destined for toast or afternoon tea. But curiosity has always been my favourite ingre

If you find yourself with an abundance of courgettes and want a fresh, light dish that captures the essence of summer, this goats cheese and courgette tart is an excellent choice. It combines a crisp, buttery pastry with a creamy, tangy filling and tender, golden courgettes. The subtle heat from red chilli and the aroma of fresh thyme add layers of flavour that make this tart a standout at any meal. Whether served warm or cold, it’s a versatile dish that works well for casual